Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 30 - Kicker Nathanial Vakos

Wisconsin's 2023 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Luke Fickell's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

Capitalizing on a stellar freshman season at Ohio, Nathanial Vakos made the jump to the Power 5 level this winter. The All-American kicker joined the fold after he took part on an official visit in January. All five transfers who were on campus on that date committed to the Badgers.

"I was looking to go somewhere I already knew where I’d fit, and I had an offer to Cincinnati coming out of high school, so I knew Coach (Luke) Fickell and their coaching staff pretty well," Vakos told BadgerBlitz.com after joining UW. "So I kind of looked at that and then I spoke to the coaching staff and got to campus and loved it, so that’s why I chose Wisconsin."

During his true freshman season at Ohio, the 6-foot-1 kicker hit 22-of-27 field goal attempts with a long of 56 yards. His season included a mark of 17-for-18 on kicks inside 40 yards while going 49-for-50 on extra point attempts. During the visit, the staff made it clear how they viewed the talented kicker.

"Their plan for me is I would come in as the starter and it’d be my spot to lose, basically,” Vakos said.

Fickell did things a little differently during spring camp. The team didn’t go through a ton of special teams work, and more often than not, the kickers only attempted a handful of kicks.

"Special teams are a big part of the football game," Fickell said at the conclusion of camp. "We don't do a ton of it during spring ball - we just do the fundamental work, some drill-work stuff and we don't get as deep into some of the schemes of KOR and kickoff, stuff like that.

"But I think on a day like this you just go out and let guys play. You get to see what guys can transition and take some of those fundamental things that you've done and actually in a situation go ahead and use those. Ultimately at the end of spring you still get to evaluate a competitive-spirit drive and a sense of urgency and effort level that is different."

In an extremely limited sample size during the spring, the sophomore was inconsistent before finishing off spring camp strong. While showcasing the power in his leg, a few of Vakos' kicks during the first couple of weeks of the spring wound up going wide. Despite that, Vakos has proven accuracy at the college level.

Barring a meltdown in fall camp, Vakos is in line to be the starting kicker and projects to add an extra bit of breathing room for the offense. Nate Van Zelst and Collin Larsh were able to provide stability for UW in recent seasons, but neither provided the range that Vakos has displayed. Knocking through three field goals of longer than 40 yards in Ohio’s bowl game against Wyoming along with a 56-yard career-best, the Badgers should have an asset on special teams.

When fall camp rolls around in August, Vakos will have to hold off Van Zelst, who steadily made 11-of-14 field goal attempts this past season. The staff's approach to practice is still something to keep an eye on. After a limited workload during the spring, how much work do the specialists see during fall camp and what does Vakos look like during that stretch? Displaying his leg strength, he knocked in a few kicks from 45-plus yards out during camp.

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